spear



N. T. SPEAR. MACHINE FOR HUSKING 001m.

No. 27,841, 'Pewerited Apr. 10, 1860.

N. 'l. SPEAR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CORN-HUSKER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,841, dated April 10, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, N. T. SPEAK, of N o. 116 Nassau street, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Husking Corn; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification, in Which Figure 1, represents a front elevation of the machine showing the rough and smooth rollers with the crank for operating them, also the friction pin wheel for vibrating the back holding plate to discharge the cars from the machine. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal vertical section taken through Fig. 1, as indicated by the red line w, w, marked thereon.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the'two figures.

This invention has for its object the stripping of the husk from .the ears of corn in a perfect manner, with a very simple and cheap machine.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, in the drawing represents the framing of the machine consisting of a base and cross tie at the top of the two standards and a de fleeting board for separating the husked from the unhusked ears. On one side of, and near the top of uprights A, A, are fixed bearing blocks B, B, in the lower end of which, is supported the husking cylinder C, to which motion is given in the direction of the arrow Fig. 2, by a winch and balance wheel D. This cylinder has grooves running its entire length and slightly oblique to its axis, or instead of grooves it may be armed with teeth, or any other suitable stripping surface. Above this cylinder C, and contiguous to it, is a smooth faced cylinder E, smaller than the lower one. This cylinder E, has its bearings in boxes a, a, which move up and down in suitable guides in the bearing blocks B, B, and which are acted upon by india-rubber or other springs so as to allow the cylinder, E, to yield sufliciently to allow the husks to pass between the rollers, still the springs hold the cylinder E, down on cylinder C, with all the force requisite to tear the husks from the ear.

G, is a curved apron the upper edge of which is secured permanently to a bar R,

passingtransversely across the top of standards, while the lower end has a free vibratory movement, to or from cylinders C and E. The spring J, presses the apron up toward the rollers with a sufficient degree of force to prevent the ears of corn, escaping from the apron before they are properly husked, at the same time the apron is yielding to the difierent sized ears during their husking operation. In the lower vibrating end of the apron G, is a roller N, Fig. 2 the axis of which is parallel with that of the cylinders C, E. This roller N, is quite small, and between this and the cylinders the ears of corn are held while the husks are being stripped off. Still another roller similar in diameter to N, may be placed above this roller, having its bearings in the yielding apron G, and the entire apron surface may be made a rolling surface, by the interposition of such rollers as that shown and clescribed, each of which will have its bearings in plates secured to either end of the apron Gr. This apron G, with its roller, or rollers, forms with the cylinder E, a kind of hopper into which the ears of corn with their husks are placed, and from which the husked ears are discharged at suitable intervals by means of a pin wheel L, which operates an arm P, projecting down from bar R, the pin wheel is rotated by a friction wheel L, which is keyed to the cylinder (E) shaft. This comprises all the machinery I require for stripping the ear of its husk from the point to the butt.

It will now be seen from the foregoing description of my machine that the ears of corn when placed between the apron G, and smooth cylinder E, will be held first between two rolling surfaces; and as the cylinders are turned, the ears will be gradually brought down on the roughened surface of the cylinder C, the apron yielding slightly to allow the ears to pass down, the cars will in this situation be rapidly rotated until portions of their husks enter the bite of the cylinders, when the husks will be stripped from the ears, which being held between two rolling surfaces, viz., that of the apron and cylinders, they will freely turn over as the husks are forcibly drawn through between the cylinders. When this operation is completed the pin on wheel L, will have made one revolution, and it will force the apron back and allow the stripped ears to fall as represented by red lines Fig. 2, the apron will then return and be ready to receive another supply of unhusked ears, when the same operation as above described may be repeated. During the whole operation of husking with the machine, the ears of cornare kept in motion, and as ears of various sizes are presented to the cylinders, the apron will yield and accommodate itself to the ears, still it will hold the ears with sufficient force against the cylinders to efiect the husking properly.

am aware that a yielding apron combined with stripping cylinders for husking corn is not new, nor do I wish to claim such;

pose specified.

' N. T. SPEAR. 'Witnesses:

C. M. HUGHES, M. M. LIVINGSTON. 

